Welcome to the AC Tropical Fish aquarium forum. Our aquarium forum is the place to discuss any aquarium related issue in a friendly environment. Our aquarium forum welcomes aquarists of all levels from beginners to experts. Please ask a question in the how to section of our forum or read the FAQ section if you have any questions. register to and become a part of our friendly aquarium forum community today.

Dwarf Gourami Help!

0

I Have 1 male dwarf gourami. Here is the story;
I started out with 3 neon tetras. Then I got 6 more, then 3 guppies, then 3 more guppies, then 3 more neons, then a dwarf gourami. Everything started going wrong when I got this gourami, some was his fault, some wasn't. There was an outbreak of white spot and I treated the tank but all of my fish died except from this one.
I don't think the ich killed all the fish. The dwarf gourami nipped the guppies, one time he actually took a big chunk of one of the guppies' tail. I have this gourami now, and don't know what to do, I'm scared to add more fish, in case he nips them too.

Your tank size/ filter are going to help to determine issues/ Solutions
I would normally ask what your water parameters are but in this case i don't think that is the major issue. The issue is dwarf gourmais can be aggressive and nip smaller fish or fish with flowing fins aka guppies and. Tankmates should be able to outswim the gourmai but also not have long fins. The stress cause probably didn't help with the ich and that combined with constant chasing im guessing the gourmai did the stress from all these things shut down the fishes immune systems and that's probably what caused them to die.

It's odd how some DW gouramis are terrors and some aren't. I've had nice mellow fellows as long as I keep them in seperate tanks.
Your guy seems to be a mean one. I'd return him to the store. you probably won't get credit but he'll go in an orphan tank and someone will likely adopt him.
You could try another DW gourami and you might get lucky or you might end up with the same problem.

As for the ich - make sure you treat for 7 - 10 days because it will only come back if you don't. there's a really good article on ich in the fish disease section that will help you understand the parasite's life cycle
good luck

I'm not familiar with that filter but a good rule of thumb is the have 2 X the filtration suggested for the tank size. So if that filter states it will accommodate a 30 gallon tank, you're golden. If the capacity is less than that, you might consider getting another filter for it. much better to over filter than under filter.

you can get by with the 20 gal filter but if you get a chance add another, you'll be happy with the results and so will your fish.

as to a split tank - I know they make screens and some people use them but you'd really be limiting the DW gourami's space and I know mine like to scoot around the entire tank. so, while it might be a sort of solution, I don't think the little guy would be very happy. also, those screens have a way of slipping and if a smaller fish gets in with him, it's pretty much trapped and done for.
Know you are attached to him but if you're going to keep him, you might have to get rid of the guppies and smaller fish that he knows he can harrass. you could add some larger tetras and they might all get along fine.

you can get by with the 20 gal filter but if you get a chance add another, you'll be happy with the results and so will your fish.

as to a split tank - I know they make screens and some people use them but you'd really be limiting the DW gourami's space and I know mine like to scoot around the entire tank. so, while it might be a sort of solution, I don't think the little guy would be very happy. also, those screens have a way of slipping and if a smaller fish gets in with him, it's pretty much trapped and done for.
Know you are attached to him but if you're going to keep him, you might have to get rid of the guppies and smaller fish that he knows he can harrass. you could add some larger tetras and they might all get along fine.

Thanks, he is the only fish left and I might try some larger tetras, maybe rummy nose...what would you suggest?

Make sure to get something that has a peaceful nature (in most areas that's labeled as a type A or type B personality)

I have a dwarf gourami that is in a ten gallon with one mystery snail and one nerite snail and he's the most chill fish that i've ever seen. I would hate to lose my Blurr.

I'm sure you'll figure it out, just make sure if you go with the larger tetras you account for how big they will get when they mature as that may affect how much 'swim away' space he has. The gourami's are cousin's to the Betta fish, this means they are prone to be territorial as you've already found out.

Also remember most tetra's are community fish, so if you get the larger ones, you may have to do more water changes than normally would be required due to the minimum of at least 6 to make a school in any tank.

My suggestion is you leave the gourami by himself in the tank for a week or two, and maybe get a snail or two for cleanup crew if they aren't already in the tank stalking. I have one nerite snail and one mystery snail. Nerite snails won't breed in freshwater as they are normally a saltwater snail, and i have never regretted the one i've bought. The mystery snail is just the pitch hitter for cleanup, and with only one in my ten gallon they won't spawn a colony.